Decision Time

[ArkSlim]

Just completed my ccl class now need to decide 1. Whether to go with a semi-auto or a revolver. The instructor recomended the revolver due to the relibility and simple operation. Others go with the semi-auto because of the increased rounds, both have their plus's. Would appreciate feed-back from people who have been carrying for a while! Then h ow to carry IWB,ankle ect. THANKS

 

[ColdBlueSteel]

Lotta questions before you can answer this one.

First off, which do you shoot better?
How familiar are you with the operation and controls of semi-auto VS a revolver?
How much experience do you have "behind the sights" altogether?

Remember that in a self defense scenario your fine motor skills will suffer from the stress and rush of adrenaline coursing through your viens, so being proficient with whichever weapon you choose, along with being able to put your hits on target is absolutely paramount. Every aspect of what and how you carry is going to contain am element of give and take. There will be pro's and con's to every decision. Take what works best for YOU, and apply those to the very large responsibility that is carrying a firearm.
Lastly, no matter which direction you go....practice...practice...practice.

And congratulations on your taking the necessary steps to be able to protect you and yours, and possibly a total stranger.

 

[freqlord]

+1 to ColdBlueSteel

The only thing I would add to that is..
What are you comfortable with? The gun you are comfortable with is the gun you should carry.

 

[deralte]

First off, you probably won't have any need for your weapon in your lifetime. Secondly, theres little chance that you would need more than 5 or 6 shots. The big reason for carrying is that you never know what will happen or when. The way the country is heading many carry both the revolver and a pistol. Practice with what you carry and keep your head up and know whats happening around you. Good Luck.

 

[ASA335]

Opinions?

Like many on this board, I've been shooting, carrying and instructing firearms for a good while - And we will all likely still have different answers for you (Opinions. Just like belly buttons. We all have 'em.), but here I goes anywho: Bottom line is "Your gun – Your choice". What you have to evaluate is your own skills, life style, needs and comforts.

I shoot/carry both revolvers and pistols (usually alternately), but I've spent near a lifetime handling/carrying/using both. I favor shoulder holsters for concealment, closely followed by on the belt (OWB and IWB), then pocket carry, and I avoid ankle carry. This suits my skills, life style, needs and comforts.

Not knowing much about you or your training, I can only go with my typical recommendation for folks new to this concealed handgun game:

Get additional training, and lots of practice.

This needs to be the best training (including use of force training) and best practice you can afford. I have over forty years of training and practice - most very good though some was a mistake – and I still don't think I've had enough.

Revolver or Pistol?

You have to know which one you're most comfortable with, not what I'm comfortable with. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I do tend to favor revolvers for new shooters (they're even good for well seasoned shooters also). I have carried revolvers on duty and would again if they let me, but I'm also very comfortable carrying a pistol instead. I believe revolvers do require fewer manipulation skills (especially if there is a malfunction), but one can develop the additional manipulation skills for a pistol easily enough.

Where one lives, travels or works may make a difference though in my recommendation. If they had to deal with a reasonable likelihood of serious criminal activity with multiple threats (such as when I was in parts of Central America), I'd likely recommend a high capacity pistol instead to that same new shooter.

Find a range that rents guns, find a friend that has something for you to try out, or go to a decent gun club with a range and see if they have anyone that would be willing to help you out (I've been pleasantly surprised just how willing other shooters have been to let me try out their guns or offer advice and even training – I often have used some of my own range time to assist another shooter, especially a new shooter).

Mode of Carry.

Definitely requires an assessment of your skills, life style, needs and comforts. Example: If you usually wear only shorts and a polo shirt you won't have as many options as if you normally wear a suit with jacket.

At the minimum the holster needs to be of good quality, secure in how it retains the gun and in staying in place, and reasonably accessible (even deep concealment holsters need to be as accessible as possible). If worn on a belt, the belt needs to be of good quality, and stiff and wide enough to keep the holster from shifting or sagging.

Caliber/Ammo

I could start an ammo topic war if I try to be too specific. I've gone through most of the normal phases of caliber/ammo choices and have settled on the following basic rule:

"Shot placement is King, adequate penetration is Queen, and everything else is Angels dancing on the head of a pin."

Only hits that reach in and disrupt something important are important. If you can do that better with a 9mm or .38 Spl than you can with a .45 acp or .44 Mag then the 9 or the 38 are better choices for you.

I personally like big 40 – 45 caliber bullets or the .357 Mag and shoot them well, but I have a few guns that I can shoot very well in 9 and 38 so I often carry one of these instead (in fact fairly often). Big bullets can (not will, but can) make bigger holes that go in deep, but with the right (good construction, velocity and with decent mass) smaller cartridge/load you can get the job done more than well enough if they're placed well enough.

The first criterion is for you to find the cartridge that you shoot well, under stress, repeatedly (quick follow-up while maintaining your accuracy). Then search for the best defensive loading in that one.

This above may not have been what you were looking for, but I think it's a good place to start.

At your service,

 

[jimmyj]

Glock 19/23/26/27

 

[ASA335]

The posts above my first all sound very reasonable. I was typing my first one as they were coming in.

Peace,

 

[seagill]

Glock 19/23/26/27

Very insightful and informative!

 

[Bill_inBouse]

I'll second that ASA335. Excellent post and most informative for a new CCW guy. I think most folks don't realize the decisions, and maybe life altering decisions, that must be made after deciding to carry a weapon in public. Taking the test is easy, it's what you do after that counts.

 

[David Sinko]

You really should go with what you know. I do a lot of shooting with both revolvers and autos and I will always choose the revolver. If you do choose a revolver and can shoot it well, never let anybody convince you that it's a bad choice.

Dave Sinko

 

[Rule 303]

Go shoot shoot some quality revolvers and then go shoot some semi auto pistols. Might spend some time shooting them and then decide which one you like the best.
Either will do you a good job. Buy a cheap pistol/revolver and expect cheap reliability and accuracy.

Rule 303

 

[kwade]

ASA335 has said it all. The only thing I have to add is don't limit yourself to one weapon if you can afford it, you don't limit yourself to one set of cloths. I carry a S&W 637 for those light days, a 45 M&P or a S&W 99 40 S&W for those heavy days and depending on the way I am feeling, I may carry my S&W 686-6 PP or S&W 49-6 Classic 5", heck there are days I don't carry if it is too hot outside. MS is a Conceal Carry not open carry.

 

[laney566]

For what it's worth, I am set up to carry both types....I would recommend no matter what your choice, to go stainless or nickel rather than blued. Just my opinion but I sweat a lot and find it easier to maintain.

 

[J.P.60]

I've carried on and off the job for over 35 years. Always carried a Colt Commander or one of many other 1911's in the safe. This year, I am returning to the revolver, but, have no fear... they are .45acp! My new carry gun will be a S&W 325, Night Guard and I've added a really nice S&W 22-4 Thunder Ranch to my small collection of 1917's.

Starting out with the best revolver you can afford is my recommendation for all the obvious reasons. The first, however, is that you'll spend less time learning your gun and more time learning to effectively carry and use your gun. I also think that your first should be stainless for the same reason... worry more about your ability and less about the gun, itself.

Just my two cents...

 

[scooter123]

Ass previously pointed out, your personal attributes should determine what you choose to carry.

Nearly 30 years of working as a designer and machinest have left my wrsits a bit sensitive to recoil. As much as I enjoy shooting revolvers even the 38 spl. can be too much in anything under 30 ounces, so my wheelguns are to heavy to contemplate concealing.

My choice is a 40 caliber Sig P239. It's heavy enough that the mass in combination with the slide mitigate the recoil where I can tolerate shooting 130 rounds without any pain.

As for reliability, IMO this issue is more than a bit overblown concerning semi automatics. I have over 2000 rounds on the P239 using all types of ammo and only one single misfire due to a dud primer in some cheap Federal Champion. Spend the money for a well engineered semi plus good quality ammo and reliability should NOT be an issue of concern.

However, with a semi any spare magazine carried routinely should get stripped and cleaned on a weekly basis, otherwise pocket lint or metal shavings may result in the magazine jamming up completely, something I learned by experience. Never considered what a spare magazine might collect until I saw a tip on a forum and found I had to remove the baseplate from my spare mag to unload it, it was jammed solid with chips from a mill.

 

[sonny]

If you "like" guns and look forward to range practice and tearing guns apart to put in better springs and parts, then you could go for a semi-auto. If you ever want to hunt deer or bear with your gun, get a revolver as generally, they offer higher power availability, heavier bullets.
If you are carrying for self-protection and the gun will sit on your nightstand at night, but you don't want to mess with guns any more than necessary, then I would reco a revolver. Very easy, no muss, no fuss, always goes bang, extremely reliable. Little maintenance required.
A modern, good-name semi-auto can also be very reliable, but takes more work to learn and manipulate safely than does the revolver.
I've done this since the late 50's. I generally carry a semi-auto, IWB, for self-protection, but if I'm in a hurry, I just grab one of my j-frame Smith revolvers and stick it in my waistband, using a Barami HipGrip. I highly reco this grip to carry a small revolver, as you need no holster to carry safely.
I suggest IWB for max concealment, but some folks can't stand the gun inside the waistband.
Good luck on your choice. Do ask here again before you purchase. Someone here will give you their opinion BEFORE you put out your hard-earned bucks.
Sonny

 

[Shorty4T]

ASA335 hit all of the high points, one thing I will add is that no single firearm will fit all occasions. As he mentioned lifestyle/clothing has a lot to do with it, however don't expect one pistol/revolver to meet every need. If you are serious about carrying a weapon you will likely find that you will have different weapons that fit different needs/attire.

I fall into the category of new shooters should start with a nice revolver for the reasons stated already. Learn to shoot, practice, practice, practice; then move to an automatic if there is a need/want.

Like others here I often carry either revolvers or pistols and am comfortable with either, when I take new shooters to range for the first time its always a 686 with 38 wadcutters. Low recoil allows them to concentrate on trigger control and site alignment rather than worrying about recoil of the lastest greatest autopistol or worrying about clearing jams out of that $1K racegun they just bought.

Cheers,
Sam

 

[moonshine44]

I've carried both, at one time or another, and no longer own a semi-auto, only wheelguns. As has been said, you have to make the choice. What handguns do you own? If you don't own any, definitely go to a range that rents them, and shoot as many different ones as you can afford, and find the one that you shoot the best...

If you do own some, then it's the same statement: find the one that you shoot the best, then get the best holster and belt that you can afford to carry it in/on. And practice, practice, practice...